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Todaiji Temple Japan- Visiting the Largest Buddha statue in the world

As Japan has lot to offer and there are several famous temples, we decided to visit the Todaiji temple which is otherwise known as the Great Eastern temple. It is one of the famous temples in Japan and is situated in Nara Park. It was constructed in 752 AD and is regarded as the head of all Buddhist temples in Japan and is the headquarters of Kegon the Buddhism school.

We traveled to Nara which is the capital of city of Japan. The guide explained the history of the temple. He explained that it is the head of all temples in Japan. The temple is the epitome of Buddhist architecture and the beauty of the temple is indescribable.

The Main Gate into Todaiji | Image Resource : wikimedia.org

The deity worshipped here is the Buddha Vairocana as the cosmic, central Buddha in the form of a bronze statue of Vairocana in huge size. Emperor Shomu has constructed this statue and it is said that more than 2,600,000 people helped to construct the Buddha. The Buddha was completed in 751 and it consumed all most all bonze production of Japan at that time.

Buddha Statue | Image Resource : wikimedia.org

The Great Buddha was completed in 752 AD and the people started worshipping the statue with huge ceremonial function. The wooden buildings of the temple were rebuilt several times after each earth quakes and fire accident. In 1180 after the war almost all the buildings were reconstructed.

Todaiji Temple Japan | Image Resource : wikimedia.org

We entered the main temple through the great South gate. The gate was built in the 13th century and it has two guardian statues of 8 meters created in 1203. The main temple is regarded for the highest wooden construction in the world. The main building has hundred meter tall pagodas and was destroyed by the earth quake.

We were amazed to see the huge Buddha which is of 30 meters tall and 250 tones weight. The hair of the statue is made of 966 bronze balls. We could find some rear support pillars behind the Buddha which had holes underneath. People were trying to squeeze through the pillars. It is believed if one successful squeezing through the pillars they have place in heaven. We came out of the temple and saw the beautiful octagonal lanterns made of bronze which is the oldest treasure of Todaiji.